As gentle as a feather
by Ayimil Taddy
Summary: Steve is standing in New York square in the snow and someone comes by to pull him back to the now.


Steve stood as still as a statue as he watched the snow fall down around him. It landed in corners on the street where no one was walking. Barely becoming more than slush on the busy streets. People around him hurried up on their way to get out of the cold. He did not notice the looks and glances he was receiving by just standing there with his shoulders turning white. His breath coming out in puffs. Like little ghosts from his past.

The first avenger shivered, but made no attempt to get warmer. His stared ahead like he would not see. This was his home, right? Yet he could barely recognize anything. The lights, the cars and the people. God, the people were so strange. It's been almost a year and he still felt out of place. Different and alone. Even talking with Peggy did not seem to help.

The loneliness. It was weird how he could be surrounded by people and still feel like he was just intruding. A man out of time. Just like Loki had said. And all he wanted to do was get back in. Sure, he knew he was needed. Knew that the others cared. That never stopped the moments when he just felt so out of place. Like he had never left the arctic. So frozen and solitary.

The captain could feel the cold seep deeper into his flesh. Deep enough to soak into his bones. Unwanted tears watered his eyes. He felt so empty and yet he could not stop himself from caring.

Some time passed with Steve standing in the snow. Lost in his thoughts like he had been lost in the snow. In nearly the same spot as he first spoke with Fury. By now he had gathered some attention from strangers around him. Still, no one appoached him. Whispers spread around him like the crashing of waves on the beach. The man out of time did not see. Did not hear.

Slowly a figure detatched from the still moving crowd. The being stepped up to the blonde igniting a mixed reaction to the few watching. Some angry, others concerned, but all curious. No attention was paid from the two. Like they were off in their own little world.

Green eyes stared into unperceiving blue. With a sigh, the man removed his scarf from around his neck. He did not know why he was even bothering, but he continued what he was doing anyways.

Warmth. He could feel heat. But that wasn't possible right? He was alone at the top of the world. Slowly freezing to death. There couldn't- With shock, focus flooded back into his being. He blinked at the unshed tears that burned in his eyes from not blinking in the cold. His breath picked up as he started to realize what was happening. "Lo- Loki?" he questioned softly. What was he doing here?

A smirk made a quick appearence on the god's lips. Loki ignored the question in Steve's voice and continued to fix the scarf around the avenger's neck. He wrapped it three times before tucking in the short end into the folds while leaving the other end to dangle down. Afterward, Loki put his hands into his coat pockets. He gave no indication that he would move anytime soon. Not that the god really knew what he was trying to do to begin with.

They stood like that for a few minutes. Loki in all his mysteriousness and Steve in his confusion. He wondered why the god had given him his scarf. Was it some sort of trick? He could see something in the older man's eyes that he could not completely translate. Pain? Hate? Concern? Understanding? The blond just could not tell. So he stopped trying to figure it out.

Steve knew he had been standing there for some time. He had to have been. He was completely chilled in an unpleasant way. Finally taking note, he could see the circle that was forming around the two of them. Or had that been happening before Loki. With a sigh, he tucked his chin into the circle of fabric. It wasn't enough to completely warm him back up, but it was enough. And he was grateful to the god.

"Steve! There you are!"

Tony made his way through the crowd toward him with a smile on his face. Natasha was laughing and waved at him from just behind Tony. Thor and Clint made their way behind her while in a heated argument with Pepper in the middle winning it. Bruce followed up behind with a calm desposition. They gathered around him with the normal grace of the avengers on an outing. That is to say, none.

Loki stepped back to give more room, but did not try to leave. His face was unreadable to Steve. Tony kept on talking like he always did.

"We've been wondering where you got off to. We're going shopping. My treat, cause, you know, I can toally afford it. That and with Christmas just around the corner I want to make sure you guys get me the right gifts."

The billionaire chatted away until Natasha cut him off.

"You ok, Steve?" She had noticed right away the pile of snow on his shoulders and his nearly blank expression. Her tone of voice ended up pulling the attention of the others. Steve shifted unconforably from their scrutany, but did not say anything. He didn't trust his voice not to break. He had been sprilling down hill. There was only so much he could take and he hadn't really been dealing with what happened in the arctic. He had just been pushing it aside.

Worry ran through the other avengers. After moving into the tower, they all had gotten a lot closer. Primarily thanks to Steve. Because of that, they all were pretty good at reading each other. Even if it took some of them a moment or two to notice when something was wrong. Pepper stepped up next to Natasha. "You want to shop with us? Or do you want a ride back to the tower?" She asked Steve. With a quick glance at the others, he knew that they would not leave him alone whatever he chose.

Slowly, a small smile formed on his lips. "Shopping," he said quietly. Understanding dawned on the group's faces. Seemlessly, like the well oiled machine they were, they went back to bickering and talking. He needed normalacy. A place to belong. They may not have been saying anything, but their acitons spoke for them. They began making their way towards a shop with Tony still in the lead. Bruce walked up and brushed the snow off his shoulders with a small smile before following Tony. Pepper and Natasha nodded to him and began chatting. Even Thor and Clint thumped him on his back. They all made him feel wanted. And that's just what he needed.

Steve knew it would take some time, but he was willing to be patient. He may have times where he felt horrible and out of place. He would have times where he would morn the time that he had lost. But he knew he would always be grateful for the time he has been given. The feeling of being loved warmed him. After watching his fellows a moment he glanced over at Loki who was also watching after the group. This time, Steve knew the flicker of emotion in his green eyes. Longing.

As gentle as a feather, Steve took the rest of the scarf around his neck and wrapped it around Loki's like how the other had done for him. It was an amazingly long one that Steve doubted that was normally made. However, it was the perfect length for them if they stood side by side. The first avenger merely smiled at the taller man's bewildered expression before he followed after his friends with the god in tow.

* * *

Listen to Snow by Sleeping at Last and Midnight Starlight by Jason Walker. I listened to those two songs while writing this.


End file.
